Dispensing container



United States Patent Ofifice 3,179,311 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 3,179,311 DISPENSING CONTAINER Leslie P. McCarty, Midland, Mich., assignor to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 335,183 3 Claims. (Cl. 222424) This invention relates to a dispensing package. It more particularly relates to a dispensing package containing biocidal materials.

Many biocidal materials such as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and pesticides must be applied at a predetermined level of application to be properly effective. Over or under dosage can result in many undesirable effects. For example, under dosage with herbicides of the hormone type results in promoting the growth of plants rather than killing them, whereas overdosage will oftentimes result in killing or severely retarding the growth of desired species. For example, the application of an overdose of a broadleaf herbicide on a lawn frequently results in unsightly patches where the grass has been killed or its growth severely retarded. Much of this under and over dosage results from carelessness on the part of the person who is applying the pesticide in that the proper strength of solution is not prepared. Such carelessness on the part of the consumer frequently results in the consumer blaming the product or believing it to be inelfective or misrepresented.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispensing package of a biocidal material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispenser containing a biocidal material which is capable of dispensing predetermined quantities thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved shippable, handleable package of biocidal actvie material utilizing a breakage resistant measuring dispenser.

These benefits and other objects in accordance with the present invention are readily achieved by employing a container having an opening therein to provide access to its interior, disposed within its interior a liquid biocidal material, affixed to said opening a breakage resistant housing, the housing defining means to engage the opening of the container and be secured thereto, a cavity disposed remotely from the opening having a closed end and an open end, the housing defining a passageway having a first opening and a second opening, the first opening and the second opening being disposed generally vertically from an upwardly facing opening of the container and providing communication between the interior of the container and the cavity, a tubular member having an open end, a closed end and a housing engaging means disposed intermediate between the ends, said closed end of the tube being disposed within the cavity, an opening in the wall of the tube intermediate between the closed end and the housing engaging means.

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the drawing wherein:

In the figure there is illustrated a package in accordance with the present invention. The package 10 comprises a container 11. The container 11 defines an opening 12 disposed within the neck portion 13. The neck portion 13 is provided with external thread 15 and a sealing surface 16. Disposed within the container 11 is a biocidal liquid material 17. Atfixed to the neck 13 of the container 11 is a housing 20. The housing defines internal threads 21 which are adapted to mate with the threads 15 of the neck portion 13, a sealing shoulder 23 adapted to engage in sealing relationship the top portion of the neck 13, a chamber 25 having a closed end 26 and an open end 27, the chamber 25 being disposed generally at right angles to the axis of the container neck 13. The housing 20 also defines a passageway 28 having an open terminal end 29 adjacent the internal threads 21 and an opening 30 in full communication with the chamber 25. The housing 20 adjacent the open end of the chamber 25 terminates in a flange portion 32. A generally tubular member 35 is partly disposed within the chamber 25. The tubular member 35 is provided with a chamber engaging collar 36, a pouring spout portion 38 having a closure 40, and opposite the pouring or delivery spout 38 the tube 35 has a closed end 42. The tube 35 defines an aperture 43 disposed remote from the opening 30 of the passage 28. Between the closed end the tube 35 and the aperture 43 is a measuring volume 45. Disposed within this measuring volume 45 is a plug 46.

In operation the container of the present invention dispenses liquids by first tipping the container 10 in the direction illustrated by arrow A in the figure, thus disposing the tube 35 in a generally vertical manner, the fluid 17 flows through the passageway 28 into the chamber 25. The cap 40, if not removed, at this time should be removed. The fluid entering the chamber 25 enters the tube 35 through the aperture 43. On rotating the container in the direction of the arrow B, (returning the container to the vertical position) a portion of the liquid in the tube 35 disposed between the aperture 43 and the open dispensing end 38 is forced by gravity from the aperture 43 into the chamber 25 through the passageway 28 and into the container 17. However, a fixed volume of the liquid is retained in the measuring portion of the tube 45. As rotation is continued in the direction of the arrow B the portion of the liquid contained in the measuring portion 45 of the tube 35 flows by means of gravity toward the open dispensing end of the tube and is discharged. A second measured quantity of the liquid is readily obtained by tipping first in the direction of the arrow A and secondly in the direction of the arrow B. Usually rotation of more than 180 (that is plus or minus 90 from the vertical) is unnecessary and when the container is full, substantially less rotation is required.

A wide variety of containers may be utilized in the preparation of the package of the present invention. Particularly advantageous and beneficial are conventional narrow mouth bottles of glass, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, and like synthetic resins or plastic coated glass containers. Metal containers such as screwtop cans also can be readily utilized. The dispensing assembly comprising the housing 20, tube 35 and the cap such as 40 are beneficially prepared from synthetic resinous materials which are impact resistant.

Advantageously if the quantity of liquid desired to be dispensed is to be changed a plug such as the plug 46 may be frictionally fitted within the volume determining portion 45 of the tube 35. Alternately tubes 35 may be provided with predetermined volume dispensing capabilities and are readily interchanged. Using a container in accordance with the present invention, predetermined quantities of biocidal materials such as insecticides, herbicides and the like are readily dispensed in sufiiciently accurate quantities to assure desired performance.

Typical of a wide variety of well known plastic materials are nylon, a condensation product of hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid, nylon 6, which is polycaprolactam, polystyrene containing dispersed therein a minor portion of a rubber such as about 20 percent of a polybutadiene rubber, plasticized polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, polypropylene resinous copolymers of ethylene and propylene, saran resins such as copolymers of percent vinyl chloride and 25 percent vinylidene chloride,

and also useful are the polyester resins, and epoxy resins. Usually in many instances the phenolic resins are found satisfactory although there is some tendency for them to be brittle. Fabrication of the chamber 20, the dispensing tube 35 and the cap 40 may be readily accomplished by comprission molding or injection molding using conventional plastic fabricating techniques. Occasionally, if de sired, the chamber 20 and the tube 35 may be prepared in one or more parts and subsequently cemented or heat sealed together.

As is apparent from the foregoingspecification, the manufacture of the present invention is susceptible of being embodied with various alterations and modifications which may differ particularly from those that have been described in the preceding specification and description. For this reason, it is to be fully understood that all of the foregoing is intended to be merely illustrative and is not, to be construed or interpreted as being restrictive or otherwise limiting of the present invention, excepting as it is set forth and defined in the hereto appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A container having an opening therein to provide access to its interior,

a breakage resistant housing demountably aflixed to said opening,

said housing defining a means to engage the container adjacent said opening in sealing relationship therewith,

the housing defining a'chamber disposed remotely from the opening, the chamber having a closed end and an open end,

the housing defining a passageway having a first opening and a second opening,

the first opening and the second opening being disposed generally vertically from an upwardly facing opening of the container and providing communication between the interior of the container and the chamber,

a tubular member having an open end, a closed end and a housing engaging means disposed intermediate between said tubular member ends, the housing engaging means positioned at the open end of said chamber,

the closed end of the tubular member being disposed Within the chamber and the tube defining an opening in the wall thereof intermediate between the closed end and the housing engaging means,

said housing engaging means providing a liquid tight seal between the housing and the tube.

2. The package of claim 1 wherein the housing and tubular member are composed of a thermoplastic resinous material.

3. The package of claim 1 including a' removable closure for the open end of the tubular member.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 142,210 5/49 Australia. s LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO ITS INTERIOR, A BREAKAGE RESISTANT HOUSING DEMOUNTABLY AFFIXED TO SAID OPENING, SAID HOUSING DEFINING A MEANS TO ENGAGE THE CONTAINER ADJACENT SAID OPENING IN SEALING RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, THE HOUSING DEFINING A CHAMBER DISPOSED REMOTELY FROM THE OPENING, THE CHAMBER HAVING A CLOSED END AND AN OPEN END, THE HOUSING DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY HAVING A FIRST OPNEING AND A SECOND OPENING, 